Mortals in the Deadlands
by CheySkywalker
Summary: "The Wayward Knight" as it should have happened. Farwil is just as irritating, but Alison Jerick manages to shut him up. Rated T for Alison's low Speechcraft skill.


**(A/N) I'm going to tell you all right now, it isn't a very smart idea to wait until Level 25 to finish "The Wayward Knight". It is **_**ugly**_**. For me, Farwil died on the bridge, and Bremman went in the entry chamber of the Sigil Tower. If the idiots could have listened to me, they would still be alive. So this is my take on what **_**should**_** happen during "The Wayward Knight".****Before we get into the story, I would like all of you to look at my ****Golden Rule****, which is posted on my profile page. I'll wait for you to get back.**

** u/4167926/CheySkywalker**

**Have you read the ****Golden Rule****? Excellent! With these things in mind, let us start our adventure!**

* * *

_The fools should have taken some of the Guard with them._

The thought had gone through Amminus Gregori's head almost constantly since he had received the order to watch the fiery portal outside of Cheydinhal. That idiot son of the Count and his equally stupid friends had gone rushing in screaming about victory, not taking anyone else with them. Amminus had no doubt that they were dead, but Count Indarys had ordered him and the guards with him to stay until they came out or there was proof of their demise.

Another creature came out of the portal. The guards immediately sprang into action, meeting the human-like monster before it could summon something nasty to help it. They had found out the hard way that they could do that.

Even with four against one, the monster was difficult to beat. It held a black claymore covered in blood, and it knew how to use it, battering the guards' shields and weakening them. Amminus knew that they needed a miracle to defeat the thing.

It turned out that a miracle was nearby. A shining figure suddenly appeared in Amminus' vision, pulling out a golden sword. "Get back!" it shouted, and the guards instantly obeyed. There was something in that voice that made obedience the only option. They watched, awestruck, as the figure took on the monster.

Later, the guards would realize that their deliverance was from a purely human source. But as they watched, Amminus and the others came to believe that it was a miracle from the Divines themselves. The being glowed with light from the portal, reflecting off of its shining armor. It met the monster strike for strike, its golden blade crashing against its opponent's black one. Flames danced across the two of them, bringing even more light.

With a fierce battlecry, the being beheaded the monster with its sword. As the monster crumpled, the being dove into the portal, which swallowed it greedily.

"Divines save us," one of the guards cried, falling to his knees. "What _was_ that?" The other guards went to their knees as well, praying to the Divines.

"I don't know," Amminus replied, just as awed as the rest of them. "But I hope it manages to get Lord Farwil out of that portal."

* * *

"Farwil, with all due respect, there are only two of us left. Wouldn't it be more prudent to go back and get some of the Guard to help us?"

Farwil reacted just as Bremman expected he would. "We don't need them!" he shouted, brandishing his sword in a challenge for any of the monsters to see. "We are the Knights of the Thorn, valiant and true! We may be wounded, but our spirit will never falter!"

_Well, that may be true for him_, Bremman thought, _but I'm pretty sure my spirit faltered as soon as we stepped inside this hellhole_. They had started with seven Knights, charging into the portal intent on glory and victory for Cheydinhal. They had immediately met resistance from these unnatural monsters, and now only he and Farwil were left. Farwil had a nasty wound on his left leg where a spider-like creature had bitten him, and Bremman's shield arm was next to useless after being hit in the shoulder by some kind of root. Here, even the _plants_ were deadly.

Bremman's delusions of grandeur had long passed. He wanted to be out of this unnatural place, back in Cheydinhal where everything was familiar. He had little knowledge of what this place was, but it was obviously not meant for mortals. The wound on his shoulder throbbed, as if in agreement.

Farwil continued rattling off words about the glory of the Knights of the Thorn, how they would overcome this setback and destroy this portal once and for all. Bremman wasn't sure he even knew how to close it. This place seemed invincible.

"What in Oblivion?" Bremman spun at the unfamiliar voice, his hand tightening on his sword. Farwil quit shouting, thank the Divines. He was going to draw every monster this place had to offer here soon.

An armored figure stood at the entrance to the caves they had passed through, holding an unusual golden sword in its hand. It took off the helmet to reveal a female Breton's face, her brown eyes confused.

Farwil lowered his sword. "Finally, someone has been sent to help us!" he cried, apparently forgetting his speech about how the Knights stood alone. "What took you so long?"

The woman's eyes hardened. "No one sent me here," she replied, frowning. "Who in Oblivion are you?"

Farwil drew himself up, outraged. "I am Farwil Indarys, son of Count Indarys of Cheydinhal and founder of the Knights of the Thorn," he declared, looking at the woman with disdain. "This is my loyal brother-in-arms, Bremman Senyan."

He obviously expected the woman to bow, or give him some compliment. Instead, she snorted. "I should have expected you idiots to be in here," she said, raising an eyebrow at Farwil. "Well, I suppose since I'm here anyway, I can rescue you louts." She looked at me. "You." She gestured for Bremman to come closer. "You look like a Harrada got you. Let me take a look."

Bremman didn't know what a Harrada was, but he sensed that this woman knew what she was talking about. He went over to her, ignoring Farwil's outraged shrieking. "Some sort of root in the caves hit me," he explained to her as she examined the wound.

She nodded, her eyes in deep concentration. "They're called Harrada roots," she said as Bremman felt healing magic wash over his shoulder. "They pack quite a punch, don't they?" She finished healing his shoulder and turned to Farwil. "Do you have any wounds, my lord?" she asked. Her voice made the title sound like an insult.

"I'll tell my father about this!" he shouted, stepping away from her. "When he hears about your disrespect, you'll wish you had never been born!"

She laughed mirthlessly. "You could tell your father," she replied, glancing at her sword. "I don't think he'll listen, however. Few seem to when it comes to me. Besides, should I wish to, I can make sure you never leave this realm. I could close the portal and leave your sorry ass here. Maybe then you'll know what it's like to be a hero."

Realization suddenly dawned on Bremman. "You-you're the Hero of Kvatch!" he exclaimed. Everyone in Cheydinhal had heard of Alison Jerick, the woman who had saved Kvatch from total destruction. The rumor mill churned with her deeds, some claiming that she had closed hundreds of these portals. Her appearance here made sense to Bremman, as well as how familiar she was with her surroundings. She went into these portals all the time.

Farwil didn't seem to care about who she was, though. "Now you're threatening me!" he cried, his voice rising even farther. "My father will hear about this!"

Alison sighed. "I'm already getting sick of you," she said. "Are you wounded or not?"

"He's got a bite on his leg," Bremman offered.

"Let me see," Alison ordered, looking at Farwil. When he opened his mouth to protest, she cut him off. "Depending on what kind of daedra bit you, you could be dying at this very moment. I'd rather not try to rescue you to just have you die from a poisonous bite."

To his credit, Farwil saw the sense in what she said. He shuffled over to her, though he didn't look happy about it. She ignored him, kneeling down to examine the bite on his leg.

"Looks like a spiderling," she muttered, putting a hand on the wound. "Did he fall when he got it?" she asked, directing the question to Bremman.

"Yes," he replied, ignoring Farwil's indignant refusal. "It was some tiny spider-thing with a woman's torso. He fell, but he got right back up."

Alison nodded. "Definitely a spiderling," She healed the bite, then stood. "All right, if we're going to get out of here alive, you idiots are both going to listen to me," she said. "First rule: no shouting. I'm surprised that no daedra came because of milord's squawking. If we don't want to attract the attention of every creature in the Deadlands, we need to be quiet.

"Second rule: Stay behind me. If you see a daedra, for the love of Azura, don't go charging at it. I can and will take care of any daedra we see. The two of you will stay behind me, and will not engage the Daedra. Got it?"

Farwil obviously didn't. "I am the son of Count Indarys, and I will not be ordered about!" he cried. Bremman noted that he was a bit quieter than he had been before, though.

"I don't care if you're the damned son of Akatosh Himself!" Alison snapped. "You are a foolish, spoiled boy who thinks he can survive the Deadlands without any damned help! I have closed _forty_ of these portals. I know what the hell I'm doing, and therefore you will listen to me!" She stepped closer to Farwil, and although she was smaller, he backed away. "And if you don't listen to me and manage to get yourself killed, I will let your father know that it was your own damned stupidity that killed you!" She glared between the two of us, her brown eyes burning with a fury hotter than the lava ocean around us. "Now, do either of you harebrained idiots have anything else to say?" she asked.

"I will follow your lead," Bremman said. He had no doubt the Hero of Kvatch could get them out of this portal, and he wasn't going to take the chance of her leaving him behind.

"Good. Now follow me, and when I tell you to stop, you better bloody well listen." She stormed towards the bridge that led to a great tower. Bremman followed readily, and Farwil kept pace with him, his dark face sullen and angry.

They were about halfway across the bridge when Alison told them to stop. "If either of you move, I'll let the daedra push you into the damn lava," she hissed before moving forward. Bremman could see a human-like monster up ahead, facing away from them. Alison crept up behind it and swiftly beheaded it. Flames danced across its body as it fell.

Alison turned and beckoned for them to move closer. Bremman walked towards her until she motioned for them to stop, then waited as she went forward again.

* * *

That was how they went into the tower and up through the halls. Alison would tell them to wait, then go up and clear all of the enemies out of the area. She would then permit them to move into the clear, and they repeated that all the way up. Neither Bremman nor Farwil saw any battle, though Bremman couldn't say he was sorry for that. He had had enough of this place for a lifetime.

They reached the top of the tower. Alison cleared the area of daedra, then led them up a ramp that looked as if it were made out of flesh. It led to a platform that was also constructed from flesh, focusing on the fiery column that seemed as tall as the tower itself. Floating in the column was a perfectly round black stone.

Alison led them to the edge of the platform. "Both of you, put a hand on my shoulder," she ordered, staring at the stone. Bremman obeyed, sensing that if they didn't, they wouldn't be able to leave the portal. Farwil reluctantly put his hand on her other shoulder, glaring at her. She didn't notice, reaching into the fiery column. It didn't seem to hurt her. She grasped the stone with her hands and pulled it out of the column.

The change was instantaneous. With a deafening roar, the column began to destabilize. Alison moved away from the edge of the platform, reaching out and grabbing Farwil and Bremman's arms. The tower shifted, as if it were falling. The column of fire began to expand, becoming blindingly white. As Bremman squeezed his eyes shut against the light, he heard Alison mutter "Forty-one."

* * *

**(A/N) Alison wasn't lying when she said she's closed forty portals. The journal entry when you go into the Gate says **_**"I should proceed carefully, as unknown dangers await me here."**_** When we saw it, my brother and I laughed because I know all of the dangers, and to prove my point to him, I checked the count of how many Gates I've closed. Yeah, we were both surprised to see a big fat 40 on the screen. It's because I've been putting off Miscarcand.**

**I noticed as I was editing this that I kept switching from 3rd person to 1st person. This is supposed to be in 3rd, but since I usually write in 1st, I seem to unconsciously write that way. I read through it to make sure it stayed in 3rd, but I might have missed something. Let me know if you find any 1st person references.**


End file.
